Knitted hosiery.



No. 893,663. PATENTED JULY 21, 1908.

' R. W. SCOTT.

KNITTED HOSIBRY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.30.1904

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 893,663. PATENTED JULY 21, 1908 R. W. SCOTT.

KNITTED HOSIERY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.30.1904.

I sHEBTssEBET z.

PATBNTED JULY 21, 1908. R. W. SCOTT.

KNITTED HOSIERY.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR.30,1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

OOOOOOO0000000000OOOOO00000O000000000000000000000000000000000() OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO NITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNoR or ONE-HALFfro LoUIs N. D. WILLIAMS, or oGoN'rz, PENNSYLVANIA.

KNI'r'rEn Hosni'mr.4

To all whom it, may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. Sco'r'r, a

- citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Knitted Hosiery, of`

whlch the following is a specification.

' continuous operation which produces a tubular web, upon elther a flat or a clrcular maone machine is employed in the fabrication ofchine, the web in the lattercase being formed by rotating knitting instead of by reciprocating knitting, such as is usually resorted to in the manufacture of fashioned stockings. By making the stocking, or rather the blank of which the stocking is to be formed, upon one machine, I avoid al1 expensive transfer operations such as arenecessary when more than the stocking blan l y In the accompanying drawin s, Figure 1, 1s a view-of the' foot land part o the leg of a stockin made in accordance with my lnven-v ig. 2, is a view of the blank from Figs. 3 to 8 intion. l which the stocking is made.

fclusive, are needle diagrams illustrating the method of knitting said blank, Figs. 9 and 10, are views illustratin certain modifications in the production o the heel portion of the stocking in accordance With my invention, and Fig; 11 is a view illustrating the needles of a modified form of machine upon which the sock or stocking can be knitted.

l It may be well to state at the outset, that in knitting a so-called full-fashioned stocking itis customary to commence the knitting at -the widest portion of the leg, the knitting.V being performed upon fiat machines having .spring-beard needles and the strip being knitted of a uniform width until the calf portion is reached, whereupon the strip is narr rowed by the transferring of stitches from the end needles on both sides of the machine toward the center of the fabric until said fabric -hasbeen sufficiently narrowed for the ankle portion of the stocking, the latter being then knitted of uniform width until the formationof the heel is necessary. At thisl juncture, two yarn guidesl are thrown into action, one employedfor knitting a proy jectin'g heel piece at one side of the ankle web, and the other for knitting a correspond- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 30,1904. Serial No. 200,838.

Patented July a1, 190e;

in 'heel piece at the opposite side of said an le web, the intervening needles of the machine having the stitches cast from them.

The heel strips are knitted of uniform Width down to the point where the rounding of the heel is to be eHected, whereupon each of the strips is narrowed to the desired extent by transferring the stitches from needle to needle in the same manner as when narrowing for the calf portion of the stocking.

When the knitting of the heel strips has been completed, they are cast from the needles and the selvaged inner edges ofthe heel strips are run u on the outermost needles of a separate mac `ne, known as a footing machine, the intermediate needles of this machine receiving the loopsaround the instep portion of the leg web which were thrown from the needles of the leg machine when the formation of the heel strips Was begun. The foot web is then knitted upon the needles of the second machine, the web being narrowed at each side to form the desired instep gussets, and being also narrowed at the toe so as to properly round the same. This method of manufacture is a slow and tedious operation, necessitating the use of expensive machinery and the highest class of skilled labor to operate it.

The main aim of my invention has been to. soform the stocking as to permit of the use, in its production, of a web produced by tubular knitting preferably upon a high speed circular or rotating machine :in p ace of the usual low speed reciprocating machine, and to effectthe desired .shaping or fashioning of the web without the necessity of using transfer points for transferringr stitches from needie to needle oriillingpoints for transferring a previousl forme stitch of the knitted Web to a nake needle, for the use 'of such transfer or filling-up .points furtherl reduces the production of the machine, .since the knitting operation must be arrested While such ointsare in operation.

Re errin ,`fir'rt', to Figsxl to 8 of the drawings, it W' be observed that the stocking illustrated in 1, is very similar to an ordinary full-fashioned stocking, having a shaped calf 1, asquare heel 3, with rounded lower corner 4, instep gussets 5, a seam 6 across the front of the toe, a seam 'Z where the front of each heel strip is united to the rear end of the sole portion of the foot, and a seam 8` eX- tendmg from the point of the toe around underneath the foot and heel, up around the corner of the heel, and u along the back of the leg. In my im rove stocking, however, the leg portion an the foot portion are not made separately, thestocking being produced from a web or blank of the character shown in Fig. 2, and this web being made in a manner which will be understood on reference to Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive.

It will be noted, on reference to Fig. 2, that the web has, at each edge of the same, bor-l the various widening wales being introduced between the standing wales of the fabric and the bordering wales. The knitting of the Web is commenced at the toe, and the machine employed for the production of the fabric is by preference a rotary machine with a air of needle-carrying vsegments movable rom and towards each other around a full or interrrupted circle of needles in a cylinder,

the latter needles 10 (re resented by the circular series of dots in Fligs. 3 to 8,) formin the standing wales and the widening wales o the fabric, and the segment needles 11 forming the bordering wales of the fabric. A machine of this character is shown in my Patent No. 607,002, dated July 5, 1898. The machine knits round and round, .a limited portion only of the needles 10 being in action at the beginning of the operation, and these needles being flanked by the bordering needles 11, the knitting yarn being carried .across from one set of needles 1 1 to the other,

and the floating yarns or elon ated sinker wales being subsequently severe or trimmed off, either by automatic means or by hand, with the result that, in either case, sinker wales or ends of yarn project from the bordering wales, as shown at 12, in Fig. 2, hence a characteristic feature of the stocking or blank, is that the outer edges, along the bordering wales, are un selvaged.

In starting the knitting operation, only the needles 10 from a to a Fig. 3, may be in o eration so as to produce a narrow web suc as -shown at a in Fig. 2, with bordering' wales 2 at each side of the same produced upon the needles 11. As the knitting proceeds, however, these needles 11 are racked apart and needles 10 are successively brought into action at each end of the set of needles 'a-a until the full amount of widening for the toe has been effected, as indicated at b in Fig. 2,

v by which time the relation of the needles 11 to the needles'lO will be that represented in Fig. 4, the needles 10 from b to b being in action. The widening wales are preferably introduced in such manner as to prevent the formation of eyelet holes, as shown for instance in my Patent N o. 614,349, dated November 15, 1898. The knitting of a web of uniform width for the foot of the stocking now proceeds until the point d is reached, whereupon there is a further introduction of needles 10 and racking out of the needles 11 for the purpose of producing the instep ussets 5, this widening operation procee ing until the web reaches the line e, Fig. 2, by Which time the needles 11 bear the relation to the needles 10 shown in Fig. 5, the needles 10 from e to e being in action. The needles 10 from c to c, Fig. 5, are now put out of action but permitted to retain their stitches, and a few courses of stitches are knitted on each set of needles 10 from cv to e and on the needles 11 these courses of stitches, shown at 7c in Fig. 2, being spaced apart to the extent of the width of the set of needles c-c and being independent of each other, save only as they may be connected by the floating yarns or elongated sinker wales extending from strip to strip. The needles 10 from d vto e, Fig. 6, are then caused to cast their stitches, and the needles 11 are racked in to the'position shown in Fig. 6, these segment needles also retaining their stitches. Knitting now takes place, therefore, only upon the needles 10 from c to d and on the segment needles the result being the production of two Webs or strips separated to the extent of the needles c-c, andf disconnected except as above set forth. The spaced weos or strips thus produced are intended to constitute the heel of the stocking, and each strip is gradually widened by racking out the needles 11 and bringin in needle after needle 410 outside of d unti the desired shaping of the web for the corner of the heel has been accomplished, say until the needles from d tof have been again brought into action as shown in Fig` 7. The knitting of spaced webs of uniform width then proceeds until strips of the desired length for the heel have been produced, whereupon the central or instep set of needles 10 extending from c to c, is brought into action again and the knitting of web for the ankle portion of the stocking is proceeded 115 with.

The purpose of casting the stitches from certain ofthe needles 10 and racking in the needles 1.1 before beginning to knit the heel webs, is to effect the narrowing of the ankle 120 portion of the stocking, it being desirable that this portion of the stocking shall not be of as i large diameter as the gusseted or widened rear portion of the foot of the stocking. y The stitches are not cast off of the needles,

v11 however, because it is objectionable to start the knittin u on naked needles, that is to say, needles w ic do not carry loops upon them. Of course, if the narrowing of the ankle in respect to the gusseted portion of the footis not desired, the retiring of the needles 10 from d to e and the racking in of the needles 11 before beginning the knitting of the spaced heel strips, need not be resortedl to. After the knitting has been carried to the point-h Fig. 2, needles 10 are successively brought into action at each end of the active set outside of the points]r and the needles 11 are racked' apart until the desired Widening for the calf portion of the leg has been effected as shown at t', Fig. 2, the needles 11 now bearing relation to the needles 10 shown in Fig. 8, and the needles 10 from t' to i bein in action. Knitting upon the needles 10 from t to fi and upon the needles 11 is then continued until the desired length of fabric for the leg of the stocking has been produced, whereupon all of the needles 10 from i to a at each endof the set are caused lto cast their stitches and are put o ut of action, thev needles 11 are `racked in to the points a, a, and the starting of a new stocking at the toe is begun and continued in the manner before described.

After the completion of the stocking blank in the manner described, the same is cut throu h the strips 7c' so as to free the bottom of eac heel strip from connection with the foot and ankle web, and the seaming up ofv the stocking in the manner indicated in Fig.

the unionv of the rear ends of t e sole portion of the stocking and the front portions of the heel-stri s, and to insure the cutting of said strips 7c 1n a straight line, it is referable to forni a slack course in.each of the same during the knitting operation.

nstead of formmg the spaced heel strips 3 as parts of a continuous web in the ma'nner described, all of the stitches may, after knitting the web to the point e, Fig. 2, be cast off of the needles 10 from c to e Fig. 6, and from the needles 11, and the latter may then be racked in to the position shown in Fig. 6, the needles'lO from d to e being'retired, and the needles 10 from c to c being also retired but permitted to retain their stitches. The knitting of fresh websu on the needles 10from cto d and upon then'ee les 1 1 may then be started, these webs being widened to shape the lower corner of the heel, and the knitting being then continued until spaced strips ofthe desired length for the heel have been produced,

whereu on the needles 10 from c, to c, lwhich retaine their stitches, may be brought into action again and the -knitting of the ankle web proceeded with, the eHect of this method of o eration being the production of a web of t e character shown in Fig. 9. This method of manufacture, requires the knitting operation Afor the production of the spaced heel webs to be started upon naked needles and therefore necessitates the use of some form of web `holder for retaining the first course produced. Another method of 1 is then eected. rIfhestri s 7c facilitatei forming the heel is as follows: After the knitting of the foot web has been com leted and the needles l() from c to c, Fig. 6, ave been thrown out of action, but permitted to retain their stitches, the knitting is proceeded with upon the needles 10`from c to e, Fig. 5, and upon the needles 11, the knitting yarn floating from c to c, so as to produce two short webs such as shown in Fig. 10 for instance, similar to the webs k before referred to, after which the needles 10 from c to c are brought into action again and the knitting of the ankle web is proceeded with. The webs 7c are subsequently severed along the central line (preferably marked by a slack course) and. t e aps which are connected with the ankle portion of the stocking, are run upon the needles of a separate machine whereby the heel strips 3 are produced, the aps which are connected to the sole portionsl of the foot web being run u on the needles of the machine whereby sai sole portions are connected to the front edges of the heel strips.

It will be noticed on reference to Figs. 1 and 2, that the fashioning of the toev is effected by a single group of ,parallel shaping wales on each side of the foot, Athese shaping wales being -interposed between the standing wales at the top of the foot and the bordering wales'at the bottom of the foot, and being introduced in quick succession, so as to ynnpart the desired sharp rounding of the toe,

. all of the shaping wales of each group running to or starting from the bordering wales 2 at. the bottom of the foot, and this, I believe to A be a novel construction, whether the web of which the foot is composed is produced by round and round knitting or by to and fro knitting, and in a separate a plication Serial No. 203,709, I have broa ly claimed the same.

It will be evident that a stocking such as I have shown' in Fig. 1, can be produced by tubular knitting and by a continuous operation, hence, the speedy production of the Vstocking is insured, while the fact that it is a relatively easy task to render automatic the machine for the production of the stockings, lessens the labor cost of the stocking and thus adds this advantage to the rapidity of production. The term tubular knitting applies as well to the operation of a circular machine, and to the operation of that class of machines having opposite straight needle beds, and a yarn guide traveling up one side of the machine and down the other, and crossing at the ends of the needle beds, and in Fig; 11, I have shown the use of bordering needles in connection with such a machine.

While in the operation of this machine reinstead of round and round knitting as in the circular machine `the comparative slowness of this method may be counteracted to a "ciprocation of the yarn guides is resorted to,

. the needles 1() -the needles 10 from c to c great extent by the use of a plurality of yarn guides, and the shortness of the sinker wales between the two sets of bordering wales, reduces waste of yarn to a minimum.

Although I prefer, in carrying out my invention, to start the knitting of the stocking web at the toe and to `fashion the web by widening in the manner described, my invention may be carried out by a reversal of such process, that is to say, the web may be started in the leg portion by knitting upon from t' to i (Fig. 8) and upon the needles 11, and then narrowed at the calf by throwing out of action successively the needles 10 from 'i to e (Fig. 8) and racking in the needles 11 to form the ankle portion of the stocking, upon the completion of which (Fig. 8) may be thrown out of action, but permitted to retain their stitches, and the spaced heel webs may be4 produced upon the needles 1,0 fromc to e and upon the needles 1 1, narrowing from t e to d towards the completion of the heel ployed in order to webs to shape the corner of the heelhwhereupon needles 1 .0 from e to e may be brought into action and the knitting of the foot portion of the stocking may be proceeded with, narrowing being resorted to to form the instep gu'ss'ets 5, (Fig. 1) and to effect the rounding of the toe, upon the completion of which latter operation the needles l1 may be racked apart' to their full extent and the needles 1() from 'i to brought into action so as to start the production of another stocking leg, some form of web holder being empermit of the starting of the knitting upon naked needles.

The bordering wales 2 at the opposite edges of the stocking blank shown in Fig. 2, are uniform in width throughout the web,

lthese wales being formed upon the needles the trimming and sewing operations, it being: desirable to have fewer bordering wales in the finished stockingthan in the blank.

The machine may,

with a plurality-- of yarn feeds, for the purvpose of facilitating production or permitting the use of yarns of dierent color or material in the stocking when desired. v

If desired, the leg portion of the stocking may be a tubular seamless web. In such case the final adjustment of the needles 11, on-the completion of the widening for the calf of the stocking, will close the gap between said needles. The width of the central band of standing wales a of the stocking blank, is preferably twice the width of each of the groups of bordering wales, so that when the blank is folded, the standing wales 0n the top vof the toe will eqlual the wldth of the two sets of bordering wa es, and thus provide for the proper formation of the seam 6 if desired, be' provided Vessaies across the toe. The heel strips may be formed with selvages on those edges which are afterwards to be joined to the rear ends of the sole webs of the stocking by reciproeating the yarn guide during the formation of the heel webs, the change in the direction of motion taking place at the front of the machine when the guide is in line with the inactive needles 10 between the pointsc, c, in fact, various forms of heels'and toes fashioned by shaping wales at each side, may be used in connection with my invention, hence some of the claims which I have based upon my invention are not limited to the specific forms of toe and heel which I have illustrated,

although these are preferred.

.By the term rectangular heel, or heel web as used in some of the claims, I mean a heel or heel web in which the wales form downward continuations of the wales in the rear portion of the ankle. Such heel, may, and usually does, have its corner shaped or rounded, either by means of wales introduced or dropped inthe knitting operation as described, or by subsequent trimming, as during the seaming operation.

Where in the claims I use the term fashioned such term applies to a fashioning produced by the introduction of sha ing wales during the knitting operation, an is distinct from a mere shaping or fashioning of a knitted web by cutting the same.

In the production of half hose, or hose with ribbed legs, the productionof afashioned calf beingunnecessary, the ankle portion of the web will be knitted of such length as 'may be necessary for the subsequent attachment thereto of a ribbed top or a ribbed leg, the fact 'that such ankle web is fiat permitting. the use of a flat ribbed web for the top or leg of the stocking, A ordinary fiat or straight looplng machine, instead Aofthe special circular machines which .have to be employed in looping ribbed to s or legs to seamless .tubular webs. Byl t e .term one piece web as used in some of the claims, I mean a web in which the heel ortions are knitted in one iece with, and o 'the same yarnor yarns as, t e leg, ankle, and foot portions.

Having thus described my. invention,y I claim and desire to secure b y Letters Patent,

1. A sock or stocking, having a foot with fashioned toe, and a rectangular heel with fashioned corner, the whole comprising a onepiece web, fashioned in each part by Widening wales, and 'having 'unselvaged edges seamed along the bottom o f the foot.

2. A sock or stocking, having a foot with fashioned toe, and a rectangular heel with and the employment of an fashioned corner, the whole comprising a onepiece web, fashioned in each part by widenin wales, and having unselv'aged edges "seame along the bottom of the foot and in the rear of the heel.

3. A stocking, having a foot with fashioned toe, a fashioned calf, and a rectangular heel with fashioned corner, the whole comprising a one-piece web fashioned in each part by widening wales, and having unselvaged edges secured along the bottom of the foot, and in the rear of the ankle and calf.

4. A stocking, having a foot with fashioned toe, a fashioned calf, and a rectangular heel with fashioned corner, the whole comprising a one-piece web fashioned in each part y widening wales, and having unselvaged edges secured along the bottom of the foot,

in the rear of the heel and in the rear of the ankle and calf.

5. A sock or stocking, having bordering wales on each side of the center ofthe sole portion of the foot, and having shaping wales in each side of the foot, all of which shaping wales run to said bordering wales.

6. A sock or stocking,` having bordering wales on each Pside of the center of the sole portion of the foot and having, in each side of the foot, widening wales, all of which start from said bordering wales.

7. The mode herein described of making a sock or stocking, said mode consisting in producing, by continuous rotary knitting and by a single continuous operation, a web comprising foot and leg portions, with intervening spaced heel portions, fashioning said web by shaping wales in the portions which require to be fashioned, severing connection between adjoining portions of the web, and seaming the unselvaged edges thereby produced and the edges of the heel webs.

S. The mode herein described o f making a sock or stocking, said mode consisting in producing, by continuous rotary knitting and by a lsingle continuous operation, a web comprising foot and leg portions, with intervening spaced heel ortions, fashioning said web by widening wa es in the portions which require to be fashioned, severing connection between adjoining portions of the web, and seaming the unselvaged edges thereby produced and the edges of the heel webs.

' 9. The mode herein described of making a sock or stocking, said mode consisting in producing, by continuousrotary knitting and by a single continuous operation, a web comprising foot and leg portions', with bordering wales and 'spaced heel portions, fashioning said web by shaping wales inside of the bordering wales, severing connection between adjoining bordering wales, and seaming the unselvaged edges thereby produced, and the edges of the heel webs.

10. The mode herein described of making a sock or stocking, said Inode consisting in producing, by continuous rotary knitting and by a single continuous operation, a web comprising foot and leg portions, with borderingv wales and spaced heel ortion-s, fashioning said web by widening wa es inside of the bordering wales, severing connection between adjoining bordering wales, and seaming the unselvaged edges thereby produced and the edges of the heel webs.

11. The Inode herein described of producing a sock or stocking web, said mode consisting in knitting a tube by a single continuous operation, starting at the toe with a narrow web having opposite bordering wales, widening by introducing wales, inside of the bordering wales to shape the toe, continuing the knitting to form the foot, forming a pair of spaced heel webs, one on each side of a central group of retained stitches, and knitting onward from said heel webs and re tained stitches to form the ankle.

12. rl`he mode herein described of producing a stocking web, said mode consisting in vknitting a tube by a single continuous operation, starting at the toe with a narrow web having opposite bordering wales, widening by introducing wales inside of the bordering wales to shape the toe, continuing the knittinor to form the foot, forming a pair of spaced hee webs, one on each side of a central group of retained stitches, knitting onward from said heel webs and retained stitches to form the ankle, and introducing wales inside of the bordering wales to form the calf.

13. The mode herein described of producing a sock or stocking web, said' inode consisting in knitting a tube by a single continuous operation, starting at the toe with a narrow web having opposite bordering wales, widening by introducing wales inside of the bordering wales to shape the toe, continuing the knitting to form the foot, dropping stitches within and adjacent to the bordering wales and shifting the latter correspondingly inward, knitting spaced heel webs, one on each side of a central group of retained stitches, and knitting onward from said heel webs and retained stitches to form the ankle. v 14. The mode herein described of producing a stocking web, said mode consisting in knitting a tube by a single continuous operation, starting at the toe with a narrow web having opposite bordering wales, widening by introducing wales inside of the bordering wales to shape the toe, continuing the knitting' to form the foot, dropping stitches within and adjacent to the bordering wales and shifting the latter correspondingly inward, knitting s aced heel strips, one on each side of a centra group of retained stitches, knitting onward from said heel webs and retained stitches to form the ankle, and introducing wales inside of the bordering wales to form the calf.

15. The Inode herein described of producing a'sock or stocking, said mode consisting in knitting a tube by a single continuous op-4 within and adjacent to the lsaid unselvaged edges and.

in knitting `a tube by a ing wales to shape the toe, continuing the knitting to form the foot, forming a pair of spaced heel webs, one on each side of a central grouip of retained stitches, and knitting onward stitches to form the' ankle, severing the web between the bordering wales, and seaming the edges of the heel webs.

16. The Inode herein described of roducing a stocking, said mode consisting 1n knitting a tube by'a single continuous o eration,

starting at the toe with a narrow we having opposite bordering wales widening by introducing wales inside of the borderingwales to shape the toe, continuing the knitting to form the foot, forming a pair of -spaced heel webs, one on each side of a central group of retained stitches, knitting onward from said heel Webs and retained stitches to form the ankle, introducing wales inside of the bordering wales to forni the calf, severin the web between the bordering wales, am? seaming said unselvage'd edges and the edges of the heel webs.

` 17. The mode herein described of producing a sock or stocking, said mode consisting single continuous opL eration, starting 4at the toe with a narrow web having o posite bordering wales, widen- 'ing by intro ucing wales inside the borderlng wales to shape the toe, continuing the knitting to form the foot, dropping stitches bordering wales om said heel webs and retained in knitting a tube by a single continuous operation, starting at the toe with a narrow web having opposite bordering wales, widening by introducing wales inside the bordering wales, to shape the toe, continuing the knitting to form the foot, dropping 'stitches within and ad acent to the bordering wales and shifting t e latter correspondingly inward, knitting s aced heel webs on opposite sides of acentra 'group of retained stitches, knitting onward from said heel Webs and retained stitches, to form the ankle, widening by introducing wales, inside .of the bordering wales, to form the calf, severing the web between the bordering wales, and seaming said unelvaged edges and the edges of the heel we s.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT W. SCOTT.

Witnesses:

WALTER CHIsM Jos. H. KLEIN.

group of retained stitches, y 

